When Angels Sleep
by I Prey On Blonde Boys
Summary: He loved Joey. He loved Joey more than he had ever loved Andie or Tamara. He loved Joey because she was made for him. Joey was his angel." 3x12 Sometimes what we really want isn't what we thought we needed. Pacey just found that out. R


Disclaimer: How could someone as straight forward and intelligent as I invent someone as dimwitted as Dawson? I own nothing but what I imagine goes on in Pace's head.

SPOILERS IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN 1st 2nd and 3rd season.

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**When Angels Sleep**

A goddess he had called her. He had forced Dawson to see what he saw. The beauty within Miss. Joey Potter was being obscured from Dawson's thickheaded mind but he could see it. He could see how when you stamped on her nerves or when she got stressed her chocolate brown eyes would light up as if she'd lit a flame behind them. He could see her pining away after Dawson. He could see through her horridly veiled lies to Dawson. He could see how much she cared.

He'd tried hard for her. When Dawson had told him to take care of Joey he'd been a bit put off. Not because of it being Joey, he didn't mind Joey as much as he acted like he did. Joey was like a time bomb. At any time she could explode and you'd get hit with thousands of Joey shrapnel. Joey was like a tiger. Beautiful and mysterious but able to rip off your head and tear you limb from limb. But he liked that about her. Joey wasn't as tame as Andie. Joey wasn't off limits like Tamara. He held a strange attraction for Joey that Jen had never been able to elicit from him.

But despite Joey and Dawson's romantic fall out Dawson was a jealous 16 year old that had an angry fit if a guy so much as talked to Joey. Dawson would blow a gasket if he found out Pacey really liked Joey. Liked Joey so much to help renovate an entire bed and breakfast. Liked Joey enough to go out on a limb and get Fricke to the home. Liked Joey enough to push Dawson in her direction.__

_**You're not alone.**_

She'd tried to comfort him when it got out that he had slept with Tamara. She'd assured him that he wasn't alone in the scandalous gossip rink. She'd left Dawson to come sit next to the boy who teased her mercilessly. She'd put out her hand and gave him a reassurance that he wasn't alone in the embarrassment. But in his act of angry, rejected teenage angst he'd shoved her kindness back at her and pretended it never happened.__

_**This pretty little snail over here by the window is a carnivorous snail. Do you know what carnivorous snails eat?**_

He'd done many stupid things in his time. Sleeping with a teacher and then trying to continue the affair. He'd put a carnivorous snail in with the other two normal snails. He'd accidentally not tied up the boat when Joey conceded and went hunting for more snails for their biology project. And he'd stupidly watched Joey get undressed and wrap up in a blanket. He'd also stupidly enjoyed the involuntary strip show. All while Joey was under the reins of Dawson's oblivious rein.

He'd attempted to kiss her and she'd pulled away shocked. He wished she hadn't. He didn't want to so after that night he completely ignored the feelings he felt like showing to Joey. He ignored the urge to comfort her when Dawson broke her heart. He ignored the urge to kill when he found out Joey had drawn Jack . . . naked. He moved on to his relationship with Andie and left the kiss with Joey floating in the past. But it had all crashed back to him when he found out Andie cheated. He couldn't stop the thoughts of what if? What if he had focused on Joey instead of Andie? What if he had fallen for Joey instead of Andie? Would he have been saved the heart ache?

Sitting in the rocking chair by the fire he thought those very questions again. Joey lay stretched out on the couch. Joey had a beautiful face almost angelic . . . when she wasn't scowling or glaring . . . so pretty much when she was sleeping. Now she was sleeping. Jen's grandmother had told a story about loving someone so much that you could sit all night and just watch them sleep.

Pacey had always been an antsy type of person. Someone who had to at least know he was doing something. So he had never really had the urge to sit and watch someone sleep. It wasn't appealing to him. Until now. Now he couldn't look away from Joey in the crazy fear of her disappearing. But she stayed, asleep and beautiful as ever before his eyes. How could Dawson want that stripper Eve or even Jen over Joey. Joey was perfect in every aspect. Smart, fiery, sarcastic, funny, somewhat happy, a bit lost, comfortable, beautiful inside and out. Joey was a bit like he was. She was a bit messed up in the aspect of having a messed up dad like he did. Maybe Dawson couldn't love Joey cause she wasn't made for him? Maybe she was made for someone else. Maybe she was made for . . . him?

Staring at Joey's beautiful face glowing in the firelight he realized something. These strange bubbly, fluttering feelings in his stomach and heart weren't from liking Joey and most certainly not from Jen. He** loved **Joey. He loved Joey more than he had ever loved Andie or Tamara. He loved Joey because she was made for him. Joey was his angel. It had just taken him awhile to realize it.

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A/N

Who doesn't love Pacey and Joey together? Dawson just isn't made for Joey. He's too selfish and egotistical and oblivious for someone like Joey. Pacey is perfect for her. I love them together. They're adorable as a couple and they are even cuter as friends.

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